Synopsis

What does it mean when the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence is your father and also your slave master?

Beverly, Harriet, Madison, and Eston are Thomas Jefferson’s children, but their mother is a slave, so they must keep their father’s identity secret. They get special treatment—better work, better shoes, even violin lessons—but they are still slaves. Their father has promised to set them all free when each turns twenty-one. Some of them are light-skinned enough that they will be able to enter white society—and thereby turn their backs on home forever. Others won’t have that option. So just what did their father mean when he wrote all men are created equal? Told in three parts from the points of view of three of Jefferson’s slaves—Beverly, Madison, and a third boy close to the Hemings family—these engaging and poignant voices shed light on what life was like as one of Thomas Jefferson’s invisible offspring.

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley|Adenrele Ojo

About Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley scored a hit with readers and reviewers with her first novel, Ruthie’s Gift, and its companion, One-of-a-Kind Mallie.

About Adenrele Ojo

Adenrele Ojo’s theater credits include The Sanctuary and White Lies. Her film and television credits include I Wish You Love and As the World Turns. She has recorded numerous titles for BOT, including: 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter, Life Is Short but Wide by J. California Cooper, and several E. Lynn Harris works.